Campaign summary/Journal

[Zyxpsilon]

...I think the side panels are ill-suited to display data spanning multiple time points - the monthly breakdown mockups presented so far are really crowded and hard to parse, in my opinion.

 

 

I agree with this statement. We could just go "smallish" for a number of assets. 80% reduction could alleviate the burden carried through by a few components... numbers and symbols included. But what *IS* too complex or hard to look at ?? Think carefully here... where is the exact limit that gives you the sentiment that everything goes blurry at some point or another?

It's pretty difficult to determine i have to bet. Even i needed to offer the "Collapsible trick" to hide that mistake, TBH. I also considered "darkening" the row of Mission glyphs & values to reduce the visual impact -- to cut their contrast effects in half so to speak. It may be hard to discern but there is a "shadow" layer below the Panic-Rectangles... that helped a little at some point. Anyway..

 

I've always been strict on "balance" when it comes to gameplay features... the same principle applies to graphic elements -- maybe more so than most people tend to admit.

 

The facts are obvious... Keep--It--Simple--Stupid!! (aka-kiss) :wink:

 

In terms of concept phase, it's a natural process we just have to go through, AFAIC.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[tracktwo]

Probably my last update before I head off for the week...

 

I gathered some more info about what's already present in the journal and what isn't. It looks like we get:

 

- Resource addition/removal (money, elerium, alloys, meld, scientists, engineers)

- Soldier hires

- start and completion of research, foundry, facilities, items

- exalt sweeps w/ number of cells detected

- purchase of OTS upgrades

- maintenance costs

- council mission rewards

- mission summaries

- grey market sales

- panic changes in countries

- launching satellites

- a monthly roster recap including a complete list of all soldiers, their ranks, perks, active status, and current equipment

 

Lots of good stuff here. Some span multiple "lines". E.g. if you build an item, you'll get an entry for building the item followed by one or more lines for removal of resources corresponding to the costs of the item.

 

One bug I did find, that I'm not sure yet how to solve: Council mission rewards seem to be bugged in that they don't display the resource name for the resources you receive. In all other cases it'll say something like "X-Com gained 1 of resource ALLOYS", but for council missions only it'll say "X-Com gained 1 of resource " with nothing listed. The amount is correct, but the string is empty. The calls all look the same, it just calls AddResource() with the amount to add or subtract and a constant indicating which resource to apply. The only thing I can think of is that something hasn't yet been completely set up during the transition back from the tactical to strategic layers so it can't find the localized strings for the names. But it does record a line "XCom received a funding council reward from China", and the country names are localized too... Very strange.

 

I'll try to track down a fix for this bug when I get back. Talk to you all next week!

[Krazyguy75]

So I created my own mockup, to show how I envision it. The difficulty with mine is that it has a lot of interactive elements and code required.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/MAEI638.jpg

 

[Zyxpsilon]

I like it!

 

Specially how you managed to squeeze an entire year in one panel;

 

1) Year switch device (cool UI stuff),

 

2) Grades shown (anything else "short" could be there as well via some optional settings accessible via two simple "Toggle Button -- morphing as need be" beside the arrows),

 

3) Selectable slots (from where transferable per-month infos could simply be added to the right side -- i feel there's ample room in height to even suggest three individual types of "Summary Boxes -- exactly as what i did with the earlier values+symbols stuff"; Previous+Current+Next automatically cycling in a given session),

 

4) Bottom area receives some per-Mission details while the on-map Icons are re-sized to indicate which is in focus... etc.

 

Although i think the Mission Icons would need to be re-designed with a more casual approach and a distinct visual theme. Colors & backgrounds (on such a default cyan map) aren't really clear to look at (the major reason why i felt tiny-circles with drop-shadow effects were necessary)... They just are hard to detect somehow. Possibly a dark-sphere style of button (32x32) that could supply our 6+ types.

 

That sort of framework could even be adapted for the "Per-Country screen". 16 or 12 slots aren't that much different considering UI balance or ease of use.

 

Good ideas there. :)

[Krazyguy75]

Well, I didn't do 4, but that's a good idea. Another idea I just came up with is to zoom the map in on whatever mission is in focus, rather than a country view.

 

As for the colors, I didn't change much because I just didn't have the time to. I'm open to anything. I just did this at 3-5AM, and by the end I was at my wits end.

[Zyxpsilon]

I always look everywhere for some inspiration... Krazyguy's neat sample above --of course-- triggered a flood of thoughts in my mind.

 

Two theory panels that would always be active simultaneously;

 

1) Monthly (clickable) & Yearly with a "scroll" function... ---- 2) Click on any country, bottom area fills with their corresponding details...

 

http://s30.postimg.org/rch5f1e5t/Panel_Months_310x504_Test_w_Boxies.png ---- http://s27.postimg.org/bchtdself/Panel_Countries_310x504_Test.png

 

----------------------------

EDIT (( Day later ! ));

 

I've inserted some concept "Selector Buttons" to provide for the auto-insertion of various values similar to what KrazyGuy did with his nice "Grades Data lines".

Thus... Grades + Credits + Elerium + Meld + Alloys + Fragments + Research + Foundry + Total Missions ... per month(s).

----------------------------

 

The thick boxes were added for calibration hints only.

 

Any dispatched details (both for months & countries) are then shown only once in the bottom section of #2. It's a new setup also (310x174)... UFO-Escaped are added. The countries version might differ a little and offer other relevant data.

 

The holo-map area simply fills-up with whatever choice(s) are currently in focus.

 

I've also worked a bit more with the Map bottom section to expose more clearly what the plan is...

 

 

 

http://s8.postimg.org/km71vmxsl/Basic_Mock_Up11_Totals_Row_Only.png

 

I'll explain the essentials later but i guess you can mostly determine what's involved.

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------

EDIT (( Later on this evening...! ))

 

We could also **RELOCATE** the inserted box of details from the above sample Panel #2 (Countries) ... this way?!?

 

 

 

http://s14.postimg.org/5qnoex7tt/Basic_Mock_Up12_Month_Top_Row_Only.png

 

The framing for it would need to be integrated more precisely as if some custom 3D "side-beams" were part of the whole Situation-Room structure.

 

 

 

I feel -- it's more cohesive as a "generic" approach to centralized essential informations with specific Top (for the category in focus -- Monthly or National) & Bottom (Totals) areas. There would be enough space to put the Month and/or Country names (currently active) straight above the EMAF section.

 

That gives out even more space to the Countries Panel where further stuff could be added.

------------------------------

 

Bis -- Progress, i think. :D

Edited July 21, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[Zyxpsilon]

Remember those two extra layers i suggested before?

 

http://s7.postimg.org/xf18c5h3v/Discard_Country_China_w_Layers.png

 

Well... i doubt the multi-colored boxes *AND* the (currently empty) Mission summary drop-box will be necessary anymore.

 

The only elements that would most probably have to be inserted onto any of our Holo-Maps (zoomed in or not) are the Mini-Tags (circles, symbols, etc) for each missions and/or events. More about a new "alternate method" later.

[Zyxpsilon]

In theory.. again.. a new Countries Panel (still 310x504) that would be consistant (and features filled) with the Monthly "Framework";

 

http://s13.postimg.org/5raf8e4qv/Panel_Countries_310x504_w_Panic_Boxies.png

 

Don't mind the current sizing of the string fields (very early concept try)... what matters most is that these two extra columns would be used to display details (sample is showing their relative Panic Levels for a given month as an example only) about each Countries in a per-month basis.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[Krazyguy75]

Still feel like the multi colored boxes don't have much in the way of useful information. If you are on star trek, random colored bars look nice, but in a game, all they do is confuse people.

 

Let me put it this way: How would a new player, who just glanced at this menu for the first time, have any idea what in the world they mean?

[Zyxpsilon]

I doubt *new* players would be interested by such campaign summary elements (and how they are designed)... as they'd most probably be immersed in the LW- Gameplay and having too much fun already to even try deciphering whatever we could come up with.

 

Yet, you have to admit that Firaxis (and staff + designers) DID use plenty of coloring schemas. The Panic bars go from cyan to red ever since EU got released. The whole HUD generic Cyan everywhere is just tooooooo much for my personal taste and so be it? Nah-- here comes some of my ReCLR projects to solve this mind blasting fact with cold-freeze & hot-rod variations.

 

I can understand anyone's reluctance to watch that kind of colorful UI stuff *IF* that's how they feel. But in a world of marketing ploys and highly conceptualize products in our everyday lives... the vastly complex web is just the tip of a much bigger iceberg.

The Big Yellow M logo of McDonald shall be turned into a lame grey-scale standard like everything else in our realities?

Please... NO thanks. Let the magic of visual variety dominate our emotions... daily, constantly.

 

To me, this argument is totally pointless. You either like the how & what or simply don't. Considering how many other people might also have an opinion on the choices we (or i) make... i'd say -- show some sympathy for the Arts but more importantly, Liberty of expression.

 

Btw... this is how i know exactly what the Panic-Bars mean (at all time)...

 

http://s18.postimg.org/fx27a8c8p/Panic_Defense_Values_Hint.jpg

 

Numbers -- real values.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Zyxpsilon